GOODBYE AND HELLO, LIFE IS SHORT

I really do not know what to say, that is new and not already covered.  The greatest loss in music this week has to be David Bowie's creative exit from the planet.  The humour which he kept to the end, only reminds us how much we will miss this genius.

For a short time I lived in Eland Road in Battersea and I remember seeing Angie his ex going in and out of her house there. Short spiky hair, and a whole lot less noticeable than she is today on Big Brother. She was elfin like, pale, ghostly. I didn't ever really speak to her, in those days celebrity was only a trifle exciting. We are talking about 1980, when it was not fashionable to be flashy, famous or rich. Money was not our GOD it was before Thatcher changed England. It was quieter.

Bowie's music resonated with the plainer version of Amanda, he was exotic yet he talked about "the girl with the mousy hair" He was before I got hold of some peroxide and changed myself into a copy of an Hollywood Starlet.

Anybody who knows his music cannot fail to miss him.

Then we have had to say good bye to Alan Rickman, I will never ever forget him starring in  Les Liaisons Dangereuses a play written by Christopher Hampton. His witty seduction of a virgin as a favour to his lover, Merteuil. His performance as Valmont, in my opinion was far greater than Malkovich's, but then I was a huge fan of the theatrical version. I was always surprised at the casting of the film despite being a fan of the director Stephen Frear's. He also had enormous sex appeal and charm. I once had dinner with him and his partner in London. Charming and erudite, he was interesting without a script, rare for any actor.

Enough said these two will surely make a swift entrance to heaven.

I have also had to cope with a family loss, it sounds so twee to say the last four letters, when I loved this private person so much. I can't go into it here. She was from another time with a displeasure of Facebook and Blogs.

Following a new years resolution,

I have also been learning to cook delightfully simple food from the Mayr Clinic in Althausee.

A few hints could keep you fit with delicious food, and so quick. It was whipped up in seconds in front of me.
A few tips.

Use Ghee and not Olive oil in a heated pan. Boiled Olive Oil can cause cancer.
If you heat the pan you do not need to use so much Ghee then.

Do not cook with onions, but with celery.

Use salt at the last minute.

Do not use water when cooking the vegetables they lose flavour.
Double as much vegetables to meat on the plate.
They cook their duck here in a bag and boil it on a low heat for 3.5 hours.

That was slightly more cheery than discovering the news of the Oscar Nominations which seem to be all over the place this year. Carol which was brilliant, was not nominated as best film, and violence and sci fi seems to be the order of the day.   Despite other people finding The Danish Girl long, I think they were tired. I totally loved it. It upset me for two weeks, perhaps it made the voters think a little too much?  I definitely loved the cinema photography by Danny Cohen and music by last years Oscar Winner, Alexandre Desplat.  This year, however Ennio Morricone should win for best music score for Hateful8, otherwise God help the Oscars. He has scored so many films and at advancing years not won an Oscar for one of them, despite his brilliant score for The Mission.  He did get an Oscar in 2007 for his work in Music.  Whether the best score or not, he deserves to win,  and not the man who does copies, he knows who he is..
Hollywood must be racking their brains, there are changes afoot, so keep your ears alert.  For the next few weeks of BAFTA's and Awards the nerves will be sharpened as a new film world comes forward for ten minutes of fame.

I need to talk about dresses at the Golden Globes 2016, yes I do, I loved them.

The best dress goes to Jennifer Lawrence, her dress, red by Dior, was totally ravishing and it suited her. The winner goes to ....Well, I also loved Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton, a beautiful simple white apron dress to the floor, one of the first times on the red carpet and she looked stunning.  The good thing about dresses is that you know they will be replaced, nobody cares too much.

Now let me get back to mourning and my "New Year "Resolutions.

P.S If you have time try and get to see La Soiree on the Southbank, its season is about to end, and if you want a nighttime of fun and laughter this will surely put your mood back in place, after all the brilliant people who died this week know that life is short.